


Stages of Grief

by AbschaumNo1



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I saw the trailer for Endgame and needed to do something, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pre-Slash, can be read as
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 19:16:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16980243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbschaumNo1/pseuds/AbschaumNo1
Summary: When they find Clint he is changed.





	Stages of Grief

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooooo, basically I just saw the new Avengers trailer last weekend and needed to do _something_ with it. Especially with Clint. (I'm steering clear of Steve for now. I AM STILL NOT OKAY WITH THAT!). A lot of emotions later this was born.

 

When they find Clint he looks haunted and angry and Bruce can feel his heart break a little.  
The Hulk stirs at the back of his mind, still unwilling to come out and actually help. He has always liked Clint, Bruce has always liked Clint. To see him like this is...jarring.  
Clint's eyes find Bruce and his face contorts into a grim smile that doesn't reach his eyes when he says, “Good to have you back Bruce.”  
No one quite knows how to deal with this new Clint. He doesn't joke as easily, when he does it's grim and dark. Losing his entire family took a toll on him, Bruce guesses, and he's not sure if Clint can come back from that. But considering that even Natasha seems to walk on egg shells when dealing with him, Bruce knows he has to do something.  
Bruce knows anger like none of them do; it has been his companion for so long he doesn't even know what living without it feels anymore. And even if Hulk is deceptively calm these days, he is still full of anger.  
But Bruce has no idea how to go about this. Not when they still have to beat Thanos and Clint won't talk.  
The answer comes to him at night. He's up on the roof of the main building, sitting right by the edge, the wind whipping around him. If he closes his eyes he can almost imagine the Hulk sitting next to him. They're both grieving for what they have lost. Hulk liked being celebrated for once, and he liked Valkyrie ( _Likes_ the grumbling voice at the back of his mind corrects. _Angry girl not die_ ). And Bruce had liked being with the Asgardians, the easy way with which they had accepted the two of them. Even Loki, as much of a scheming megalomaniac as he was, had become someone Bruce and Hulk would consider a friend. (Heimdall explaining the physics to Bruce. Val teasing Bruce like she teased Hulk, coaxing Hulk out to spar even when he was sulking. Thor being equally as enthusiastic to see Bruce as he was to see Hulk. Loki being his annoyingly clever self and trying to the end to do right by his people and save them.) But they are gone. ( _Not gone!_ The voice reminds him angrily. And then again quieter, _Not gone_.) They had found family and friendship and acceptance and Thanos had destroyed it all.

There’s a sound behind Bruce and when he turns Clint's standing there, looking surprised to see him.  
“Sorry, I didn't know there was someone up here,” Clint says. “I'll go.”  
He makes to turn away, but Bruce says, “Don't. The roof’s big enough for both of us.”  
Clint hesitates but then he comes over and sits down on the ledge a few feet between them. They're both silent for a while before Clint asks, “What’re you thinking about?”  
“Asgard,” Bruce says, and then, “Family.”  
When he chances a look, Clint is looking at him curiously.  
“We ended up on this planet. Sakaar. A real shithole right by the Devil's Anus. Hulk became their arena champion until Thor and Loki turned up. Turns out they had a sister they didn't know about who had taken over Asgard, and now they wanted to try and get it back from her. Long story short is we fled Sakaar, beat Hela and put everyone on a ship to get away from Asgard. And it was going fine until Thanos found us and killed half the remaining population of Asgard.” Bruce looks up at the stars wistfully. “At least they died honourably.”  
“But Thor and you are here. Who's taking care of the ones left out there,” Clint says, following his gaze.  
“They still have Valkyrie.” Bruce smiles. “She's going to keep them safe. She managed to keep me safe; she'll manage them, too. We'll find them once this is over.”  
They lapse back into silence but then Bruce asks, “So what are you thinking about?”  
Clint's doesn't say anything for a while. “Family,” he says finally.  
He doesn't volunteer any more information but he doesn't have to, Bruce doesn't need a degree to figure that one out.  
He doesn't say anything, and they're sitting in companionable silence until Clint hits the ground with his fist and Bruce realises he's crying.  
He has already moved and scooted over to be right next to Clint so he can wrap an arm around him and pull him into a hug, before he can even think about it. Clint buries his face in Bruce's shirt, his tears soaking the fabric, while violent sobs shake his body.  
Bruce says nothing, he just holds him.

At the back of his mind Hulk is humming a soothing tune. Bruce thinks that maybe it's for all of them.

 


End file.
